Tessa and Lip had been sitting in an abandoned hospital hallway for what felt like days, though in reality it had only been a few hours. The nurses hadn't been out to give an update in at least two hours.
Kev and V had returned a while later with Debbie and Carl after watching Fiona being taken away in the cop car, but neither Tessa nor Lip had paid them much attention. Tessa and Lip had remained sitting in their silence. Tessa wasn't sure that she had even blinked since sitting down, and she hadn't seen Lip blink either. They both just sat in silence, staring at the wall across from them. Blinking wasn't important anymore; all that was important was that Liam was okay. They weren't going to do anything else until they got word that he was okay.
At one point throughout their vigil they had ended up holding hands, and for once Tessa didn't overthink it. It felt natural, and they both needed something to tether them down to earth, lest they slip away. Lip was holding her hand so tightly, she must have lost feeling at some point, but she didn't mind. She would be there for him through this in whatever way he needed, and she knew he was going to need her help to get through this.
She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Kev begin to talk, but she didn't really hear what he was saying. She only heard the hum of his voice for the first minute or so, but then she realized he was trying to talk about Fiona and that caused her to snap out of it.
Lip was staring down the hallway towards the door that led to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. He was just waiting for someone to come out with news about Liam. Better yet, he wished he would see Liam run out the door himself and have the doctor tell him everything was perfectly okay.
Tessa squeezed his hand when she realized he was tuning Kev out as much as she had just been.
"Yeah?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the door.
"Is there a lawyer you want us to use?" Kev asked.
Lip didn't answer and Tessa didn't blame him. The last thing Lip was thinking about right now was getting his sister out of jail. Besides, she didn't see why Fiona would get a private attorney when they would likely soon be buried in Liam's medical bills. At least the public defender was court appointed.
"I used a guy on Calumet a couple years ago for that DUI thing I had, you know? He smells like dirty dish towels, but if you breathe through your mouth, it's bearable," Kev explained.
His hand was ripped from her own and she looked up to see a doctor walking towards them. "Fiona Gallagher?" She asked.
"Philip Gallagher," he immediately said.
"Is Fiona here?" The doctor asked.
"No."
"Will she be back?"
"No, not soon," Lip answered. "I'm…I'm Liam's brother."
Tessa stood behind Lip, arms folded across her chest and pulled as close to her body as possible.
"Is there another parent or legal guardian available?"
"No," Lip said. "Is Liam gonna be okay?"
The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry. I really need a responsible adult present."
Before she could finish the sentence, Lip practically cut her off.
"Look, my mom's a bipolar drug addict who split years ago, and my dad's a drunk, and the cops just hauled Fiona off to jail, okay? Look, I'm the only thing that passes for a responsible adult that you're gonna find. Now, how is Liam?"
The doctor paused for a minute before she finally gave in. "Your brother came in with acute cocaine toxicity; disoriented, hallucinating, and with a dangerously elevated heart rate. He's on Naloxone for his altered mental status and benzodiazepine to control his seizures."
"Seizures?" Debbie asked.
Tessa could tell that the doctor was not happy that there were small children asking her questions, as she knew she shouldn't have been discussing this with Lip in the first place.
"We're monitoring his temperature, his heart rate, and his glucose levels, but he has started to settle down," she explained.
"Can we see him?" Tessa asked.
"I'm sorry," the doctor said. "Only immediate family members over eighteen are allowed in the PICU."
"Go," Tessa said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll stay here."
Lip nodded and followed the doctor behind the closed doors.
She turned and sat down, running a hand through her hair. Exhausted, she sighed and turned to Kev and V. "Why don't you guys take Debs and Carl home?"
"No!" Debbie protested. "We want to stay in case something happens to Liam."
Tessa nodded. "I know, but I promise I'll call as soon as I hear anything, okay? No matter what time it is."
"You promise?" Debbie asked.
"Of course," she said, offering Debbie a small smile.
"You sure you'll be okay?" V asked, standing and swinging her purse over her shoulder.
Tessa nodded. "Yeah, like I said. I promise to call you guys as soon as we hear anything."
Debbie and Carl hugged Tessa goodbye and she was surprised at Carl's hug, but didn't say anything. She figured he was just as scared as Debbie was.
It felt like forever until Lip walked out with a clipboard with papers attached. "Admissions papers," he said.
"How is he?" Tessa asked, standing and grabbing Lip's coat off the chair.
Lip walked down the hallway until he turned a corner and found a hallway that was carpeted. He walked down a little and then slid down the wall and sat on the floor. He began to fill out the paper work.
Tessa tried not to get frustrated, but was having a hard time. She was worried about Liam too, and it wasn't like she could get answers from doctors. She tossed his coat on the floor next to him and sighed. "I'll go get some coffee," she said, although she doubted Lip cared at this point.
When she returned she saw Kev standing in the hallway, trying to talk to Lip and she guessed he was getting about as many answers as she had gotten earlier.
"Jesus. Maybe they'll let us wash dishes in the cafeteria." She heard Lip say.
"No, fuck that," Kev responded. "They got to treat him. They're not gonna kick a sick toddler to the curb 'cause he doesn't have a gold card."
"That doesn't mean they're not gonna send a collection agency our way," Lip pointed out.
"What? You're worried they're gonna fuck up your credit rating?" Kev asked.
Tessa glanced at Lip and he didn't say anything, but turned and returned to the paperwork. Tessa slid down the wall and sat next to Lip. She placed his cup of coffee by his side and held her own in her hand, embracing the small amount of warmth it provided. She sat crisscross and stared at the floor while she listened to Kev talk about Fiona.
"Fiona's bail hearing is around noon sometime. I left a message with that lawyer," he explained.
"No."
Tessa quickly looked over at Lip, surprised by his answer.
"No, what?" Kev asked.
"Uh, lawyer work for free?" Lip pointed out.
"V and I can front you some cash," he said.
"What? Front us some cash? Like we're ever gonna be able to pay you back?"
Kev sighed. "She needs a lawyer."
"And she'll get one," Lip said. "The PD's office will handle it."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kev snapped. "An overworked public defender straight out of law school with a couple hundred cases?"
"Works for me," Lip said, not even bothering to look at Kev.
"It was an accident, Lip."
"If you say so."
Tessa sighed. "Kev, I know you mean well but any money is gonna have to go towards bills or Liam's medical bills, especially if Fiona's out of work. If she can get an attorney for free, then she needs to take it."
"I can't believe you two. It was an accident!" He threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "This is some heavy shit, kid. Illegal drugs, a three year old? She might end up doing some serious time. She's family."
Lip ignored Kev and ran a hand over his face. He pulled his phone out and looked at the time. "It's almost five o'clock. I've got a quantum physics quiz in three hours. Guess I'm gonna miss it, huh?"
He stood up from the floor, bent down to grab his coat and stood back up. He left the coffee Tessa had brought him sitting there and he walked down the hallway, leaving both Tessa and Kev behind.
She ran a hand over her face, rubbing her forehead in frustration. If he accepted her help she would tell him to go to school and take his quiz and that she would watch Debbie and Carl while she did that. She would have let him use her car and done everything to help.
Tessa stood up and left the coffee she had bought for Lip on the floor. "Thanks for taking the kids home," she said to Kev. "I'll call V later."
She walked down the hall in the opposite direction of Lip to get to her car to go home.
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Tessa went home, showered and packed some things so she could stay at the house with Debbie and Carl in case Fiona didn't get out on bail. She was going to try to head back to the hospital for news but when she had arrived at the Gallagher house, V and Kev had still been there and Kev had just gotten news about Fiona's hearing.
Kev had already texted Lip about it and they all drove over to the courthouse, Kev and V taking the truck while Tessa drove the kids.
When they got there, Lip was already there but Tessa stuck close to Debbie who had been clinging to her since she had arrived at the house. It seemed as if Debbie had reverted back into the thirteen year old she actually was, instead of the teenager she was trying to be.
They all sat down on the bench and waited for Fiona's case to be heard. Tessa didn't really want to be there. She really just wanted to know how Liam was doing but she didn't know if asking Lip would do her any good.
"Fiona Gallagher. Case S6-974356."
"Is counsel present?" The Judge asked.
"Yes, Your Honor," Fiona's public defender answered.
"Read the charges."
"Possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony until 720 Illinois Criminal Statute 570.1, and child endangerment, a violation of the reckless conduct code 720 ILCS5 section 12C-5, a Class 3 Felony," the prosecutor read.
"How does the defendant plead?" The Judge asked.
Fiona didn't answer and Tessa looked at her friend. She was dressed in blue and she looked more pale than normal. In that moment she felt bad for Fiona, wishing she could just hug her. But then she remembered what had happened to Liam and she knew that this was something she could have prevented.
"Miss Gallagher?" The Judge asked, trying to get Fiona's attention.
"Not guilty, Your Honor."
"The defense requests the accused be released on her own recognizance," the public defender said.
"Cocaine overdose in a toddler?" The prosecutor asked. "The child is still in intensive care."
"Bail is set at $100,000. Check with the clerk to get a preliminary hearing date."
"What?" Veronica asked, thrown off by the large bail amount. No one had that amount of money lying around.
"Next," The Judge ordered.
"Jackson, S4-264296."
Everyone quickly put their coats on and V ran after Fiona's public defender to try to get some answers. It was just Tessa and Lip that weren't in quite the rush as everyone else.
Lip followed behind Tessa and she heard bits and pieces of the conversation V was trying to have with the PD.
"County only requires 10% for the bond," she explained. "They accept collateral of equal value. A house, a car. I can try to get it reduced at her preliminary hearing. If the victim recovers – "
"Liam," V quickly corrected her.
"Liam recovers, that could influence the Judge to lower her bail. Got to go." She quickly went up the stairs, more than likely to get to her next client.
Lip sat down on a stone bench while V talked with Kev about the money and Tessa sat down next to him, not really wanting to be apart of their conversation.
"So, where'd you go this morning?" He asked.
His voice made her jump slightly, as she had not been expecting for him to speak. "I went home to shower and grab some clothes so I could stay with Debbie and Carl." She shrugged. "Just make it easier."
"Thanks but, it's okay. I'll figure something out. It's not your fucked up family to worry about."
Tessa went to protest but was interrupted by Veronica.
"Ten grand?" V asked, turning to Lip.
"Forget it," Lip said with a shrug. "We don't have it."
"We can't just leave her in jail," Debbie insisted.
"We don't have the money, Debs."
"We can raise it. We can sell stuff - "
"No! Christ! Just drop it! Fuck, Debs!" Lip snapped.
Debbie flipped Lip off before rushing out of the courthouse.
"Debbie!" Lip yelled
"Debbie!" V yelled after her.
"Smooth, asshole. Smooth." Kev shook his head.
Lip stood up, ignoring Kev's comment. "Look, we got to find Frank, or they're gonna put Liam into foster care."
Tessa's eyes widened and she stood from her spot on the bench and got closer to the three boys.
"Shit," Kev swore.
"Yeah. Carl, I want you to go back to the hospital, all right? Stay with Liam, keep us updated on how he's doing. Look, I already tried the house. He wasn't there. You up for another round of 'Where the fuck's Frank'?" Lip asked.
"Yeah, sure," Kev agreed.
Carl spoke up. "Could be in Sheila's sweat lodge."
"Her what?" Lip asked.
"Or over at that chick's trailer by the Save-A-Lot."
V came back in and shook her head. "She hopped a bus before I could catch her," she explained.
"She's upset. She'll just go home," Lip said.
"Wonder why," V said with a glare.
"What? Me yelling at her? You think that's the most traumatic thing that's happened to her in the last eighteen hours? Let's just go see if we can find whatever gutter our responsible adult of a father has crawled into this time."
"I'll bring Carl to the hospital," Tessa offered.
"Okay thanks," Lip said, nodding his head.
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After dropping Carl off, Tessa went to the Gallagher house to see what she could do around there. She picked up Carl's room a little and tried to do Debbie's, but it wasn't that bad to begin with. Tessa resorted to doing laundry and cleaning up the kitchen.
At one point Frank came home with a blonde woman and a very chunky young boy. She had stayed quiet and they had gone upstairs, so she left them alone, unsure of whom they were.
Tessa was washing dishes when she heard the front door open. She saw Carl walk inside and she frowned. She pulled her hands out of the water and dried them. "What are you doing back?"
"Nurses sent me home," he said.
"I would have come to get you," Tessa pointed out.
He shrugged and grabbed something from the large child sitting on the couch before he disappeared upstairs.
Sighing, Tessa returned to doing the dishes. Once those were done she went to switch the laundry out and grab more dirty laundry upstairs.
"Carl, anything you want washed for school this week? Any blood that needs to be taken off articles of clothing?" She asked with a raised brow, as she rested the laundry basket against her hip.
He chuckled but shook his head.
"Carl!" The sound of Lip's voice interrupted their conversation. "Yo, Carl!" She nodded her head towards the stairs. "Go ahead, I'll be down in a minute."
He ran downstairs and she walked into Lip's room to grab his laundry but stopped when she saw a passed out Frank on his bed. "Christ," she mumbled.
Not caring about waking him up, she still went inside and gathered Lip's clothes and put them in the basket. Once she had gathered the rest of the clothes she went downstairs and found Lip and Carl talking in the kitchen.
"Who's on the sofa watching porn?" Lip asked his brother.
"Nephew," Carl answered.
Tessa furrowed her eyebrows. "You have a nephew?" She asked, bringing the basket over to the washer.
"A what?" Lip asked.
"Nurses said Liam was 'resting comfortably'," Carl explained.
"Wha – no, the – the nephew," Lip asked.
"Oh, Frank says he is, but he could just be lying to get a liver," Carl said.
Tessa snorted and nodded her head, knowing it was something Frank would do. She continued to put the clothes into the washer.
"We also got a new sister upstairs. She's in the shower," he finished.
"Jesus," Lip swore. "Hey, buddy, why didn't you call me before you left the hospital?" Lip asked.
"That's what I said," Tessa mumbled as she closed the washer door and began pressing the correct buttons.
"No phone. Fiona confiscated it when I got busted for stealing Slim Jims from the Koreans," he explained.
"Okay," Lip said.
"You got the money?" Carl asked.
Tessa walked over to the basket full of clean clothes she had set aside and she put it on the kitchen table to begin folding.
"For what?" Lip asked, walking over to the fridge to grab a beer.
"Get Fiona out of jail," he explained.
"Oh. Uhm, no."
Carl sighed. "So we're just gonna leave her there?"
"No choice."
Tessa watched Lip pass Carl the beer in exchange for the rest of his burger, and she rolled her eyes at the simple action.
"Why is the world so fucked up?" Carl asked.
"I don't know."
"Everybody's family this fucked up?"
Lip shrugged. "Well, not everybody's, but a lot of them, yeah. Of course, we're that extra-special Gallagher kind of fucked up."
"Your family fucked up?" Carl asked, turning around to look at Tessa folding clothes.
She raised her eyebrows. "Uhm," she began, pursing her lips together as she thought about how she would explain it. "No idea who my dad is and I haven't seen my mom since I was fifteen or sixteen. Junkie. Other than that, no family. So yeah, I guess so."
"So, I'm gonna go back to the hospital," Lip said. "Uh, school tomorrow, okay? That means Debbie too."
"She's not here," Tessa said.
Lip gave her a confused look. "Wait. Debbie didn't come home?" He asked.
"Nope," Carl answered.
Lip pulled out his phone. "Hey, don't let Frank out of your sight, all right? We need him to get Liam out of the hospital." He dialed Debbie's number and waited. "Fuck. Why isn't she picking up? Damn it, where the hell is she?"
"I'll try from my phone in a bit. Could just be ignoring you," Tessa said, putting a folded t-shirt back in the basket. She stopped folding and turned to look at Lip. "You can take my car to the hospital." She walked out of the kitchen and towards her bag, which was sitting near the TV. She gave the kid on the couch a weird look as he watched porn. Once she found her keys she walked back into the kitchen and held them out to Lip.
"It's okay I can take the L," he said.
Tessa frowned and grabbed his hand with her other one and put the keys in his hand. "Just shut up and take it," she said.
"Tessa, you should go home." She frowned at his words. What the hell was his problem?
"I would have thought you'd want to get to Liam faster to spend more time with him. You never know what kind of shit you'll run into on the L."
"God, Tessa, just stop, okay?!" He snapped. "I am not taking your car. Just go home and let us deal with our own family shit." He shoved the car keys back towards her.
"Fucking Gallaghers, I swear to God…" Tessa started.
"Yes, Gallaghers. My family, my problem. Not yours. We aren't together anymore. This is my own bullshit to deal with. Just go home and stop trying to help!" He yelled.
"You think I'm doing this for your stubborn ass? I love these kids even though we aren't together. For fucks sake, Lip. Just for once in your life accept the help being offered to you. You won't be able to do this all on your own and manage to stay in school. And I'll be damned if I let you drop out. Push me away all you want, Lip, but I am not going anywhere." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
Lip faltered for a moment, almost as if he was confused that someone would want to help his family. It didn't matter that Tessa had known his family well over a year now and that she had always been there. He still found it to be strange.
"Fine," he snapped. "You know what? I will take your fucking car. But only because I want to get back there quickly. This changes nothing, Tessa. I still don't need your help." He snatched the keys back from her hand and stormed out the back door.
Tessa figured this small victory was about as much as she could ask for at the moment, but she knew this was a step in the right direction. It probably went against every fiber of his being to accept this small gesture of help, and Tessa knew that. Fucking Gallaghers.
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"Still no Liam?"
Debbie's voice pulled Tessa from her thoughts. She looked up to see Debbie with wide eyes, standing in the hallway with a very tall boy standing behind her. Scratch that. He was definitely not a boy. Quirking an eyebrow, Tessa wondered if this was the Matt she had been telling her about. If that was the case, they certainly had a lot to discuss.
"Not yet, honey," V answered.
"Where were you last night?" Lip asked.
"Matt's," Debbie answered.
"Who's Matt?" V asked, her motherly instincts kicking in.
Matt raised his hand in a timid fashion.
"Oh, you're Matt? 'The' Matt? How fucking old are you?" Lip asked, standing up from his seat and pointing at the tall guy standing behind Debbie.
"Uh Debbie, hate to break it to you but he is not fifteen. Did he tell you he was fifteen?" Tessa asked.
"Who's this?" Debbie asked, ignoring her brother and Tessa.
"Our new big sister and nephew," Carl answered.
"Debbie, hi," Sammy gushed, rushing forward and embracing Debbie in a hug.
Tessa scrunched up her nose in disgust at the gesture. She did not care for Sammy and her living room porn-watching child.
Debbie wasn't quite sure what to say, so a mere, "Oh," escaped her lips.
"Mr. Gallagher?"
Everyone turned to see the doctor wheeling Liam out in a small wheelchair while another woman walked next to her. She was dressed in a suit and if Tessa had to guess, she would have bet it was the social worker.
"Liam!" V gushed
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kev cheered
"Look at you!"
"Hey, buddy!" Lip greeted
"Hi, Liam!" Tessa said with a smile. She stood behind Carl but waved to the toddler, not wanting to overwhelm him entirely. There were so many people crowding around him already.
"Oh, my gosh, I missed you so much. Oh, my gosh," she heard Debbie say.
Everyone gushed over Liam and gave him smiles. They all said how much they missed him and asked him how he was feeling, even if he didn't really respond. They were just all happy to see that he was going to be okay.
A:N/ ENORMOUS thanks to Kayla for helping me with the end of this chapter. She's the peanut butter to my jelly, you guys. What did you guys think? Fiona got out at the end of this episode, so we'll be seeing her back home next time. As usual, review!